Summary
- Shonen manga like One Piece and Naruto capture hearts with charismatic heroes and thrilling fights.
- Solo Leveling is a standout manhwa that competes with manga's big titles in the shonen category.
- Manhwa has gained popularity in recent years with titles like Pick Me Up and The Lazy Lord Masters The Sword.
Shonen is by far the most popular manga category, featuring charismatic protagonists, thrilling stories, and spectacular fight scenes. When it comes to manga, big titles such as One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach are well known for being some of the best shonen has to offer. Their stories captured the hearts of many readers who pushed them to their current popularity.
10 Classic Manhwa Series That Defined The Medium
These classic manhwa series paved the way for the medium's current success and popularity.
In recent years, manhwa has begun to take off similarly as readers are realizing the potential of this format. The most recognizable manhwa to shonen fans may be Solo Leveling, touted as one of the best in the category. However, many other great titles can be compared to manga's Big Three.
Updated August 18, 2024 by Garrett Huon: Shonen is a large category that encompasses many genres, so when this list was first made, the focus was on the most popular manhwa that existed. For this update, the manhwa added to the list will be ones that have gained a lot of attention recently. They are stories that have been rated highly for the last few years.
1 Pick Me Up
MyAnimeList Score: 8.17
- Published: 2022 to Present
- Genres/Themes: Action, Fantasy, Isekai, Video Game
- Author: Hermod
- Illustrator: Wasakbasak
Most gaming manhwa take place in MMOs or similar RPGs with tons of freedom. Pick Me Up is interesting because the protagonist is sent into a gacha game where everything is determined by a faceless master. The main character, Han, must not only survive but prove his worth to his master. Otherwise, he'll die.
There are many great things to say about this manhwa, but what's most important is how entertaining it is. Nearly every chapter is filled with excitement and anticipation, which makes it incredibly easy to binge. While the characters aren't the most complex, the setting and action in the story more than make up for it.
2 The Academy's Genius Swordsman
MyAnimeList Score: 7.38
- Published: 2023 to Present
- Genres/Theme: Action, Fantasy, Time Travel
- Author: GwandoSeo
- Illustrator: Sichi
In this manhwa, humanity has been defeated by giants from a different world, and as all seems lost, Ronan is sent to the past to try to change fate. As a young boy once more, Ronan enrolls in Phileon Academy, the premier school for future knights and swordsmen, to learn what he never could in his past life. That's how he starts preparing for the end of the world.
The Academy's Genius Swordsman is a classic time travel story with an incredibly strong protagonist, hitting all the boxes for great shonen stories. While it doesn't necessarily do anything innovative, it's a polished story with great action and characters.
3 The Lazy Lord Masters The Sword
MyAnimeList Score: 7.67
- Published: 2021 to Present
- Genres/Theme: Action, Fantasy
- Author: Ideungbyeol
- Illustrator: Dodomoon
When a character becomes powerful, it's rare to see the whole process. In this story, Airen is inspired by some oddly realistic dreams to pick up a sword after secluding himself for months. He begins his journey to become a swordmaster, going to a school for swordsmanship and adventuring across the continent to find the truth in his dreams.
The Lazy Lord Masters The Sword is a heartwarming story about growth and overcoming the roadblocks that prevent it. Airen is a compassionate protagonist who many readers may relate to. His struggle to find a goal or something to aspire to is something many people experience.
4 Doom Breaker
MyAnimeList Score: 7.94
- Published: 2021 to Present
- Genres/Theme: Action, Fantasy, Time Travel
- Author: Cheongdam
- Illustrator: Cheongdam
Doom Breaker is a time travel story where the protagonist Zephyr is given a second chance to live his life after being defeated by the god of destruction. His task is to present the gods with an even more entertaining show, a different ending to his story. Zephyr is glad to take that opportunity to save the world and all of his companions, defying the gods in the process.
In comparison to other time travel fantasies, Doom Breaker stands out because of its great detail and world-building. Each character has a deep history and a realistic personality, which makes the story more immersive. It also has great action scenes and illustrations to match.
5 Eleceed
MyAnimeList Score: 8.41
- Author: Jae-Ho Son
- Illustrator: Hye-Jin Kim
- Published: 2018 to Present
- Genre/Themes: Action, Super Power
In the world of Eleceed, there is a small population of people with superhuman powers called Awakeners living among everyone else. This manhwa follows Seo Jiwoo as he's thrust into the world of awakeners, meeting others like him, making friends, and learning to fight. All this is taught to him by a fat tabby cat.
Eleceed is a fun story that isn't afraid to mix child-like humor with some mature themes. Though there are some dark moments, the story doesn't lose its overall brightness, keeping a lighthearted tone and atmosphere. It's very similar to the first few arcs of My Hero Academia.
6 Unholy Blood
MyAnimeList Score: 7.92
- Author: Lina Im
- Illustrator: Lina Im
- Chapters: 92
- Published: 2020 to 2021
- Genre/Themes: Action, Romance, Supernatural, Vampire
Because shonen is mainly marketed toward a male audience, female protagonists are rare to see in manga. The great thing about manhwa being a web-based format is the sheer diversity of stories available. Unholy Blood is about Park Hayan, a college student trying to take back what she lost from vampires hiding in society.
19 Most Powerful Vampires In Anime, Ranked
Plenty of anime series feature supernatural creatures, and vampires are no exception. Here are some of the most powerful bloodsuckers anime has shown.
This story is emotional, action-packed, and full of twists. Each character has a rich history to delve into and a complicated motive for their actions, which makes their development so much more satisfying.
7 God Of High School
MyAnimeList Score: 7.67
- Author: Yong-Je Park
- Illustrator: Yong-Je Park
- Chapters: 569
- Published: 2011 to 2022
- Genre/Themes: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural, Martial Arts
Tournament arcs are some of the most beloved in manga and anime. God of High School features a tournament right off the bat, inviting the best fighters in Korea's high schools to duke it out. What are they fighting for? The chance to have their biggest wish fulfilled.
Of course, that is just the beginning of what the anime covers, but there is so much more to see in the manhwa. God of High School is known as one of the best manhwa in the shonen category for its art style and fantastic fight sequences.
8 Tower Of God
MyAnimeList Score: 8.38
- Author: SIU
- Illustrator: SIU
- Published: 2010 to Present
- Genre/Themes: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
As another manwha with an anime adaptation, Tower of God is pretty well known, but the anime only scratched the surface. The story follows a boy named Bam as he climbs the Tower to find his friend Rachel. However, this adventure becomes much more complex than it was meant to be.
Fans of Dragon Ball and One Piece may find this manhwa fascinating since it contains plenty of lore and world-building to dive into. With a huge cast of characters and a vast setting with infinite possibilities, Tower of God is a staple of shonen.
9 SSS-Class Suicide Hunter
MyAnimeList Score: 8.04
- Author: Sinnoa
- Illustrator: Bill K
- Published: 2020 to Present
- Genre/Themes: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Time Travel
There are plenty of tower-climbing and dungeon-raiding manhwa out there, but SSS-Class Suicide Hunter stands out among the rest because the main character is much more personable and relatable. Kim Gong-ja earns his strength over time, and his prolonged weakness is what keeps him from becoming a typical overpowered protagonist.
Each arc in the story is also incredibly different. Using the infinite possibilities of the setting, each season is able to have a unique atmosphere and theme, keeping the story entertaining and fresh.
10 Omniscient Reader's Point Of View
MyAnimeList Score: 8.44
- Author: sing N song
- Illustrator: Sleepy-C
- Published: 2020 to Present
- Genre/Themes: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The protagonist, Kim Dokja, is a normal office worker whose only hobby is reading web novels, specifically one called "Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse." It's a novel he's read for ten years, and on the day it ended, the apocalypse it was written about came true.
10 Great Manhwa With Middle-Aged Protagonists
These are some of the best manhwa series, featuring middle-aged protagonists who are past their early youth.
This is a familiar plot seen in other manga and manhwa, but Omniscient Reader is known to be one of the most well-written and illustrated out of all of them. The action is engaging, and the plot has many unique story beats that keep the reader immersed in the world it presents.